School-choice Flier Stirs Up Town

Changes Made, But Promoters Stand By Comments In Original

COLUMBIA — The man who handed out a controversial flier about high school choice Thursday said that he and the flier's author have made changes to it and would redistribute it this week.

But the two are standing behind comments in the flier that elicited criticism from some.

The town is deciding whether to send its high school students to RHAM High School in Hebron, or to continue sending students to Windham High School and Lyman Memorial High School in Lebanon. The school board is holding a public hearing on the issue Thursday. The final decision will be made by voters in a binding referendum later this fall.

The controversial flier showed comparative data of the three high schools and promoted RHAM as the best choice. School officials and some residents said they were offended by the flier, especially its cover letter.

``You will be asked to vote on whether to accept one superior school or to have the choice of two inferior schools,'' reads the cover letter, written by resident Brian King and distributed by Matt Fredette. ``What is more important to you, `choice,' or quality education for your children?''

``The only thing that we did change, because it did cause a lot of stir, was the part about the inferior schools,'' Fredette said Friday.

The two will leave in the flier data that indicate more RHAM students go on to college and do well on standardized tests. The data, which Fredette said was taken from the state Department of Education's Web site, also indicate a higher dropout rate and higher per-student expenditures at Windham, and fewer hours of instructional time at both Lyman and Windham.

RHAM's coming decision about whether to build a new high school and convert the existing one into a middle school also presents Columbia with an opportunity, Fredette said.

``Now RHAM is offering to give our kids the best education, in a new school,'' he said. ``Are we talking education, or diversity?''

Pamela Parker, a former Columbia school board member who is running again, said she was offended by the ``garbage'' in the flier. Columbia's students consistently have performed well, regardless of the school they attend, she said.

Current school board member Jonathan Zorn was also critical of the flier. He said the data were misread and mishandled. The graduation rate and test scores often have more to do with students' socio-economic status than the school, he said.

Zorn had agreed the board should study sending students to RHAM, but said Saturday the whole process should be slowed because it has become so complicated. RHAM wants Columbia to decide whether it wants to send its students to RHAM High School before RHAM decides whether to build a high school big enough to accommodate them.

``I think this was an effort to push a decision on the town before the town was ready,'' he said.

Fredette made copies of the flier on a school district photocopy machine, although Superintendent of Schools Virginia Rebar said she would not have allowed that had she read the cover letter. Fredette also handed the flier out on school grounds while parents were picking up their children, action that he acknowledged violated school policy.